Cities in U.S. will absorb the heat of climate change

On Aug. 29, 2011, Teo Campbell stands on what used to be the bottom of the Bartonsville Covered Bridge over the Williams River in Rockingham, Vt., downstream from its original location after heavy rains from Hurricane Irene tore the bridge out.(Photo: File photo by Jim Cole, AP)

The new National Climate Assessment released Tuesday didn’t rank cities by which would be hit hardest, but here’s a look at some communities that could be hard-hit by one aspect of climate change or another.

Quick outbursts of rain and snow, or “extreme precipitation,” have increased by more than 70% in the past six decades in the northeastern U.S., according to the National Climate Assessment. This is the highest percentage increase of any location in the country.

Ferocious rainmakers like 2011’s Hurricane Irene — one of the top weather disasters in Vermont’s history — have become the signature of climate change in New England and the Northeast, afflicting older cities and towns built at a time of more modest rainfall.

The heavy rain and resulting floods are undermining aging bridges, eroding roads and overwhelming drainage systems. The frequency of heavy downpours is projected to continue to increase as the century progresses.

Heat waves — Chicago; Dallas; St. Louis; and Kansas City

The rate of warming in the Midwest has markedly accelerated over the past few decades, according to the NCA. Between 1900 and 2010, the average Midwest air temperature increased by more than 1.5 degrees.

The frequency of major heat waves in the Midwest has also increased over the past six decades. For the entire nation, death increases 4% during heat waves compared with non-heat-wave days.